Sleepless Night
***
Teardrops, bagged eyes, a way of sin
The mirror reveals a lost eternal soul
A conniving move against tonight's phantom glow
Voices circle around the insomniac moon
Like magic and beauty, "She's Gone With the Wind."
The idea of love,
broken like yesterday's wishbone.
She is leaving today,
her arms, my shelter
her wings now immense.
Beauty --- she's gone forever!
Never will she suffer-
Never will she return-
All I have are lost memories,
tracing what is left.
One final deep breath
tequila vice
to wash away the pain.....
At Last, Now I See!
Under the drunken stars
I had an epiphany
Stricken like a match
A sunken treasure
At Last, I Knew
You did not belong in there,
you were there for the taking
Frail and sick, no longer sane.
Memories lost, no longer - her
My Mother!
What has become of her since?
You're a demon, who played us all
Made us cry, while she slowly withered away
The way you laid waste to her body
nipping both her legs
Fed her through a stubble
She rapidly forgot
our names'
our faces'
I hate you Alzheimer
I hate the way you took her the first time!
I hate you Death
I hate the way you claimed her final moment!
***
Sleepless nights and pillowed feathers,
Caress a precious moment around my tender skin
Pretending my mother tucked them in
Anything to help me get past my sleepless nights.
7-08-13

Mama….it’s today
The chalendar shouts it
Today
15 years ago..you breathed your last
and I still see you in dreams
and I still miss you, Mama
I’m sitting here
in front of the screen
wondering….what it would be like
to see your smile again
wondering if you’d be proud of my work
I write, Mama
I write poetry
But you knew that
I wrote you many poems
and you loved my lines
You always believed in me
and you believed that one day
I’d make it as a writer
and you made me promise
to always sign my maiden name
after everything I write
so that the world would know
where the talent came from
you were so proud of me
I’m crying, Mama
I’m crying
I miss you so much
You made me who I am
I’m just another reflection of you
the woman
in love with words
in love with life
in love with people
in love with passion
the teacher
the well respected Bible scholar
the one with a caring heart whom
everyone adored...
the one with the ready smile
But MS had a hold on you
even before I came to be
and I had to witness
you succumbing to its power
It changed my happy dreams
into nightmares of losing you
Blood
Stiches
Broken bones
Burns
I saw it all, Mama
As I was growing up…
I saw it all
And I died a million deaths
Waiting for the time that you would go
And you left, Mama
You left me
You prayed to go
to be free from your wheelchair
He heard…
He answered…
and you are asleep in Him now
waiting for the trumpet call
when you will be awaked from your slumber
Free….
your smile no longer crooked
your body no longer bent
your voice beautiful again...
how you mourned the loss of your voice, Mama
you will sing again…
you will run and dance
and pick flowers
I will be there, Mama
When you awake up..
I will be there to hold you and kiss you
and thank you for giving me life
and making me who I am
But for now…Mama,
I need to cry
I miss you…
March 19 is always a reminder
of what I’ve missed all these years
a mother beside me
to guide me and love me
and to tell me that everything
everything is going to be Ok in the end
but I carry you in my heart
now and forever…
You are with me, Mama
I love you!
I'll see you on the other side!
where there will be no more death
no more crying or sickness or pain
no more MS!
only joy...
March 19 will be no more
Only eternity!!!!
Eileen Manassian Ghali
Isaiah 57: 1 & 2- The righteous perish,
and no one takes it to heart;
the devout are taken away,
and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
to be spared from evil.
2 Those who walk uprightly
enter into peace;
they find rest as they lie in death.

This song is for my mother
Let her hear me cry
I couldn’t bring myself to write it
‘Til this darkened day arrived
A song about old promises
Made so long ago
Created and cremated
Ashes of the words I spoke
Long separated by the miles
Distanced from her golden smiles
Memory of a mother
Shared my dreams and really cared
Long separated by the miles
Distanced from her golden smiles
Mama…
I know I wasn’t there……
For you
Would have placed
A magic carpet
‘neath your weak and shaky legs
Would have raised
A strong west wind
Let you breathe with ease again
Would have bribed
God’s venal angels
Come and soothe your endless pain
Would have vanquished
All the demons
And bring peace to you again
Be the child
I never knew
In a land
We won’t grow old
Be the light
I always loved
Warmed my dark
And lonely soul
Be the girl
Playing games
In a world
The sun won’t set
Be the laughter
Calms my heart
I never will forget
I won’t forget, won’t forget
This song is for my mother
Let her hear me cry
Couldn’t bring myself to write it
‘Til this darkened day arrived
Song about old promises
Made so long ago
Created….cremated
Ashes of the words I spoke
I broke my promises, oh mama
Now you’ve gone away
I’m broken
Drowning in the pain each day
I’m drowning…drowning...drowning…drowning
This song is for my mother
Let her hear me…….

Within her frail shell, death abides
through the final hours, I remain by her side
fearing a forsaken place of webs that lie in rows
of haggard fields where everything forbidden grows
surrounded by caverns of mortal's deserted bones
she faintly whispered, "I want to go home"
Death awakens the wandering soul, affliction steps away
vanishing through corridors numbered by years of pain
yet, illuminates all delightful wanderings in between
eternity tugs at her robe to calm the heavy laden breaths
into softer mournful moans, she'll acquiesce
Within a midst of welcoming hosts rapt in lucent haze, hallowed air
transcends her delicate last breath, then earthly slumber ends
her requiem, immersed through immortal gates
never to be cast into a cold stone grave

A Certain Kind Of Death
She was in love
Their expression of it
Was the perfection of it
The way they shared
What they had
Was beyond compare
Today is the culmination
Of their dedication
Today she is pregnant
Overwhelmed
Overjoyed
Her heart sings
Then the phone rings
At the hospital
Next to her dead husband
How is this possible
Why did this happen
Grief stricken
But not heartbroken
She still had a piece of him
She had to be strong
For their child
Even though he was gone
She had to find a way
To march on
Pain and spot bleeding
At the hospital again
Getting ready for birthing
No rhyme or reason
For complication
She took care of her body
Took care of her baby
Its two months too soon
For the child to leave the womb
Lacking strength and power
It only lived an hour
She could only scream
She could only scream
No strength to go through the motions
She hasn’t seen family or friends
Trying to find something within
nothing left to give
No reason to live
Her mind is out of reasons
she is dead inside
Her memories fading away
She’s doesn’t want to lose them
Tries to hold on to them
She racks her brain all day
Trying to find a way
To keep them fresh and vibrant
It came to her at a convenience store
A fisherman was buying some worms
She saw them wiggling
Saw them moving
She bought all they had
And took them home
She knew she had gone mad
But she didn’t want to be alone
Lying in her bed
Longing for the dead
She put the worms in her womb
And pretended her baby was alive
Her days were filled with joy
They were going to have a boy
Her husband would stay home
He could finally feel him kick and move
His happiness was there only wish
They would love and cherish
Every moment of everyday
The perfect family
For everyone to envy
She wasn’t alone anymore
She didn’t have to cry
She was no longer ripped and torn
Her evenings were horrifying
She wasn’t taking worms out
She was reliving her baby dying
She never once heard it crying
Never got to hold it in her arms
Failed to keep it from harm
She was useless
She was helpless
She was hopeless
She should have died too
She should have kept him inside her
Even if it had killed her
She decided one day
To keep her baby
Decided not to let the doctors take it away
She started to feel some pain
She decided on a name
She can barely move now
She would keep David safe somehow
She’s constantly bleeding and convulsing
She can feel his life pulsating
She gave birth before she died
With the worms pouring out
and of one thing there is no doubt
There is a certain kind of death
Waiting, for some of us

Birth was suppose to come easier than this.
I pant quickly as I was taught,
but pain evaporates my gallant front
and tears have come from eyes squeezed shut
I hear a voice unlike my own
The room is filled with some concern
I groan, the doctor takes a turn
Quick-fire decision, a swift incision
... a tug, a void,...a cry... a babe..
The next several hours are a bit of a blur
until everything clears, alone in my room
on sterilized sheets, too stiff, too sleek,
too fragrant of bleach, to think about sleep.
Suddenly, all I can think about is mother
and how different it was for her,
especially, since her young husband was so far away
This miracle I bore, as soft as fine silk,
with tiny closed fists, rose-petal nails
fills me with joy, with relief, I am filled
with a deep pang of grief
for a long ago thief
I can feel the connection, mixed joy, and compassion
I bathe in the scent of my brand new beginning ......
But my thoughts stream behind me,...... to a hope that had ended
My mother in bed, after losing her first....
So young, in her bed, without child,........ bleeding red
from the war that she fought, while my Dad fought his own
I cry tears all alone.... for the grief that she owned
I so cherish the breath.....of this babe on my breast
The circle of life, starts with birth .....sometimes, death
_________________________________________________________
3/14/14
Contest: A Hundred In a Row
Sponsor: PD

What makes the decision
To flick the switch
To end ones life
For the sake of it
Troubled, debts
Bullied at school
Fork in the road
To let death rule
Mums, dads
Daughters and sons
What ever affects them
They just can't outrun
Sadness and tears
By all left behind
Will they ever understand
Suicide Mind

3/2/03
I saw no way- The heavens were stitched
I felt the columns close
The earth reversed her hemispheres
I touched the Universe
378: Emily DickensonThe Shape of Death
Because I could see through all the eyes of men,
Pandora's sin,the sum of every joy and sorrow crowded in
I felt the paucity of greed.
The simple mood of life enriched by guileless generosity
I asked, "Are good and evil mixed?"
I saw no way - the heavens were stitched.
And stitched perhaps until the hour of death
Because I could see through all the eyes of men,
I knew of life's inevitable end
that closure, that omega rose
that brings eternal sweet repose.
That stealth of life in increments
the broken bond of flesh to death
Within its marble tenements
I felt the columns close
The columns closed, my mother passed,
Because I could see through all the eyes of men,
my solace weighed in beauty that we gathered,
in all my childhood hours
In sunsets, birdsong, clouds, and dew
in measured memory of her face
I turned myself away from our lost years
The earth reveresed her hemispheres
Reversed - that algebraic leap,
Because I could see through all the eyes of men
All wisdom spilled to unity of life,
Death un-veiled - benign as the blank page before birth
returning that Divine immortal leaf
like the shape of space that waves traverse,
when split, between a particle
And I can say with nothing to coerce
Perhaps....I touched the Universe.
Suzanne Delaney
This is written in the Glosa Form
See 'about this poem' for details.

Once bloomed a rose so young and fair
With dark brown eyes and long black hair
Beside her be a tall dark tree
Whose branches stretch to smother thee
Too close beside the shadowy bark
That soon begins to leave its mark
She cries for help, but none shall hear
Her thorns too sharp, who’d dare go near?
To save this rose, who’d risk their life?
With naught to gain but pain and strife
Alone, afraid, she lays to rest
Her heart beats low inside her chest
And with the hour growing near
She sheds her final grieving tear
And so the rose soon falls asunder
Her final day, eternal slumber
She lies beside the old dark tree
The only one who mourns for thee

The warrior lays her weary head,
With heavy heart she cannot bear,
Burning tears stream down her face,
As whispered memories touch the ear.
Her armour tarnished by remorse,
Her battle-cry a wimpered row,
Her wounds, of which bleed solitude,
Will never know forgiveness now.
The song began two score ago,
When two came knocking at her door,
In need of refuge from the world,
Of that, and love, and little more.
Forced to fight for every smile,
Her only solace found in song,
She longed for love to rescue her,
And plant her where she could belong.
Jealous tongues are seldom kind,
Self-seeking hearts know nought of love,
The caged canary only sings,
When coaxed to praise from up above.
For the steely spine that now I own,
Forever shall I grateful be,
A gift from her, and from her own.
Courage mounted inwardly.
I'll not forget how I have loved thee,
And youthful memories I will prize,
Til on the shore of His forgiveness,
Whereto now, we both shall rise.

Listening for whispers from beyond the grave.
So hard to hear for the mortality slave.
Wind blows a chill thru the winters trees.
Hands clasped in prayer I'm on my knees.
Denial on my lips disbelief in my heart.
Scared and alone my world torn apart.
A pastor speaks standing beside you.
I know you're gone but don't want it to be true.
Who are these strangers standing around.
Inch by inch you're lowered into the ground.
Everyone says, " I'm so sorry for your loss. "
Can't they see I'm on an ocean that I can't cross.
If I close my eyes and listen really hard.
I can hear you say, " go play but stay in the yard."
Memories hurt Mom and I don't want to cry.
Please don't go I don't want you to die.
I know I can't stop it there's nothing I can do.
You'll just have to live on in my memories of you.
Now I have to find a way to be strong and brave.
Keep listening for whispers from beyond the grave.
Written on 3/24/16

Mossy vines served as camouflage for a decaying headstone
This was the first time I’d laid eyes on your final resting place
In front of me stood a grey granite slab covered in emerald moss
Green ivy clung to the stone and snaked round the nearby yew tree
It was evident your grave had not been visited for many many years
In fact, until ten days ago I didn’t know you existed …
A family secret kept hidden from me by my elderly ‘mother’
It wasn’t until her recent death I discovered the real truth
At the will reading the lawyer presented me with an envelope
Spidery handwriting revealed that my real mother died in childbirth
I discovered that I’d been adopted; my real name was Sara James
Seeing my original birth certificate for the first time was a huge shock
Now I know the reason I felt that I never belonged
With my raven hair and pale skin I looked very different from my sister Beth
I’d been told I looked like my great aunt and I’d never queried this
Now I stand in front of the plot where my real mother is buried
I spend an hour weeding, tidying and cleaning the gravestone
Rivers of tears run down my face when I finally reveal the inscription
Carved in the decaying stone I read
Ellen James - died 17th April 1953 aged 33
Fell asleep with her tiny angel
Susan James - died 17th April 1953 born sleeping
Family secrets kept hidden in the graveyard
Sobbing bitter tears I kneel down and leave a red rose
For my mother and my twin sister that until today I never knew existed
Fictional write for Camouflage me a Poem Contest Sponsored by Broken Wings
Theme 1 chosen - Mossy vines served as camouflage for a decaying headstone
08~04~16

The 18th of December was her last day;
she neither knew the date nor cared to.
Gathered at the hospital, keeping vigil,
we couldn't overcome her fright, or ours.
The pain, too great to be driven away,
was only "managed" with IV drips,
needles stuck in bruised appendages --
bony things -- arms and legs, hands and feet.
Above the medicines and washes, we sniffed
her scent, which, more than her yet familiar
face, to us identified our mother --
a smell we never would mistake
for any other. It went quickly
as her body cooled. The rouged and pickled
carcass they displayed was more a statue
than a person. We planned to bury her
with homely tokens, like an ancient mummy:
a family photo, a brooch she liked,
a pink hairbrush, and the brass bell she rang
to call her keeper during her last years.
But, when the time came, I could not bear
to have her leave so finally;
I took the bell from her metal box.
And, now, I ring it -- not to bring a keeper,
but to recall my mother on her birthday,
and on many dark days when I need her.

24 PROMISES
Waking up in the arms of fire.
Ashes all around, burning picture frame.
I see nothing, the night is dark as can be.
I look up and see my father crying over me.
At this moment, I'm confused.
"AM I DREAMING!"
"AM I!"
I feel and see the tears falling from his eyes.
Without hearing him talk,
I PANIC ~
~At this moment. I feel my whole world collide~
Trying to talk, he whispers words,
Saying, "It's your mother!"
He mutters, them words I don't want to hear.
"NO DAD DON'T TELL ME!"
"NO DAD DON'T TELL ME!"
My heart drops onto the floor.
One long drop, I can feel everything in me wake up.
My blood is rushing, my bones can't stand still.
These tears, falling from my dad are real.
*I'm not dreaming* ANYMORE!
Without caring to put my shoes on,
I rush into my car and make it to mother's house.
The hours began to drag.
I got to see her lifeless body on the floor,
The paramedics setting her onto a gurney.
I jump on the ambulance,
Yelling at my mother to wake up.
"WAKE UP!"
"WAKE UP!"
She can't hear me,, cause I'm crying.
At this moment, every minute felt like an hour.
**I actually felt eternity, just by holding her hand.**
Arriving at the hospital.
I try to pull myself together.
Now her body is attached to life support.
I'm thinking she will pull through.
She always pulls through.
I closed my eyes, and told God,
I know I don't believe in miracles, nor will I ask for one,
Don't take her today or in that way.
Let her go on her own.
My eyes were close so tight,
God allowed a vision in my mind.
"My mother waiting for me on the other side"
I refused to let them remove her off LIFE SUPPORT.
Leaning over her lifeless body.
I whispered one thing into her ear,
I told her, my son's birthday near.
I told her you never were there for me,
Stay for his birthday, then set yourself free.
Hours, and hours past, she made it the first day.
Another 24 hours past, she stuck around another day.
Another 24 hours past, now it's my son's birthday.
Not another hour past, she decided to go her way.
She left without saying Goodbye...
I cried,
Ever since that day, something inside died.
by;p.d.

~~
I carried it on my lap all the way to you,
The bus ride was so long, so long, Mom;
Lost in old memories of you and me, together,
I just looked out the window all the way.
Holding a wilting red rose ~
The gate of the cemetery creaked as usual,
The path filled with many crumbling leaves;
Cool wind took my long raven hair blowing it back,
I felt my tears falling as I neared your tomb.
Holding a wilting red rose ~
I stood for a long time with my eyes closed,
The words carved in stone and in my heart;
Feeling the pride of a daughter for a wonderful Mom,
I fell to my knees weeping for what is lost.
Holding a wilting red rose ~
Then at last I rose and dried the forever tears,
I touched the words carved on your cold tomb;
And retraced my steps down the path, closing the gate,
I boarded the bus and was soon lost in thought.
Holding a wilting red rose ~
. . . . . still
________________________________
May 11, 2014
Verse

When Dad passed I moved home with Mom,
We were roommates at first;
Shopping, lunching, gardening, it was fun,
There were some signs that began, slowly.
A small forgetfulness,
One day, Mom said I cannot write my name;
So, I did the banking,
Soon I was doing all the groceries.
The housework, the cooking, I did it all,
Mom needed full time care;
She was sick and stayed mostly in her bed,
I became the Mom, the daughter gone.
My own life put on hold,
I was her everything and this adult said;
When all hope was gone,
Oh turn off the life support please, please.
_______________________
April 21, 2015
Verse
Submitted to Screwed III contest, sponsor, Rob Carmack,
Seventh Place
For the contest, The True Meaning Of Being An Adult, sponsor, FJ Thomas,
Honorable Mention

Tears too much in which you bleed
Heart aches toll, low sub's breathing
For then, in them, is shown in your skin
May it be brushed over
So it may sit to seep in this pale face
For you're in health
But yet sick in your emotions
Too close you can not bare now, today,
tomorrow, or again in yesterday's
For your pain is nearly not bared
I pray for you and your sister when weeping
Hopping that you will not drown in all sorrows
But cry when times are closed
Mother is all, not yet lost, for her heart lives inside yours
Knowing of a passing before it happens isn't so strong
But the second it comes, she goes and all weights toll
Heavy your heart is, you carry it like the ones in that room
All seems silent till a sob is heard
Hear at this event, the dark colors are all in the lights
The cold faces all glow so bright
For this woman has brought life into the minds
that breathed well before her time
To a loss like this, I would not bare
Alone I would feel, to a special youth that I still endore
For she is what's left of me; whom I may speak to, and
whom would listen
As to you and your family, may you all lay close to her
May you breathe the way she has breathed
May you all see what she has seen
And may you hear all things she has heard
Her passing does not make your separation,
it only draws you closer
For the day of her event, bless her soul's crossing
for she stands in the clouds
Smiling above all your scene's
In hopes that you will all remember that she is still
there even through these means
I pray for you and your family to give potency and healing
To rejoice on the day she rose on cloud nine
And touched God's face
For this moment do hot dwell in the loss
Cry long but not for ever and remember
her years journey that she has completed
She is in thy safest place and thy hearts of whom she loved

The day my mother was taken from me 'Halloween'
fifty she had just turned the golden years she so much yearned
Left partially in a river her body broken and bruised
hidden from sight alone on a many twilight
Painfully I searched for days to weeks and on
knowing a homicide had occurred in the early morning dawn
A man in a drug induced state with no heart of grace 'Winsette' his name
has left me with a lifelong of memory and pain
At times in my heart for him I would wish to destroy
all the evil thoughts for him I felt I would enjoy
But I have learned to forgive so I could liberate my soul
even though he now walks the streets on parole
So on Halloween night there is no candy to give
only a memory of a mother I have lost instead
As I take the long walk to my mother's headstone
I lay a single yellow rose and a sweet candy kiss upon her head.
Dedicated to: My Mother 1939-1989 Never forgotten on Halloween Night
T Reams 9/27/2015 copyright Contest sponsored by: Nayda Ivette Negron
My Favorite Flower Placed 1st

~~
I wept and I weep.
All my tears cried since that day,
could fill the oceans.
I counted each gasping breath;
the end came with dawn's bird song.
__________________________
February 8, 2015
Tanka
For the contest, Tanka Tears, sponsor Rick Parise
Honorable Mention

“Memory”
sometimes in mass
as sacred songs
wash over me like rain,
I break free
and drift
into memory,
and again you rise,
your tears flow
as tears fill my eyes,
your dying breath
whispering
good bye;
after so many years,
the knife still cuts
and again, and
again
I cry.
(20 May 2015)

Parents so proud
Four sons they raised
From the Highlands of Scotland
In the pre-war days
On their crofts they worked
Morning till night
Unknown to them then
Of a future fight
The Germans have invaded
A country so free
Poland was taken
The world shaken visually
Britain declares war
As our men enlist
To rid the enemy
As the fighting shifts
Europe's engulfed
In a feverish war
Many are dying
To comprehend what for
The four brothers
Sign up to fight
As a mother will pray
Every night
Campaigns they fight
In these theatres of war
Witnessing horrors
Never seen before
In their garden at home
On the family crofts
A bed of roses
With petals so soft
Then one day
With a passing glance
A pink rose dripping red
In deathly stance
Their mother turns
To the gate she looks
Telegram in hand
From the postman she took
With trembling hands
She opens with care
Upon reading the message
In tear laden stare
Their eldest son
In Africa was lost
As many many others
Deaths global cost
Every day
As she passes the rose
It's pink petals bloom
Her tomorrow's fear grows
.

Mother, I pray for your forgiveness as it was me,
I had to let you go and it never leaves my mind;
It was me who made the decision to set you free,
I was the one they came seeking for papers to sign.
There was nothing I could do to change your fate,
I would have done anything even given my own life;
The decision was so difficult and it could not wait,
My heart was stabbed with a blood-soaked knife.
With each gasping, breath you took in this world,
I kept asking is there nothing that can be done;
Oh I hated what had to be, it still twirls and whirls,
I asked the Lord why, why did I have to be the one.
Can you forgive me mother, for letting you go,
You were so kind and sweet and I loved you so.
____________________________
September 24, 2015
Modern Sonnet
For the contest, Forgiveness, sponsor, Craig Cornish
Fourth Place

Mother don't cry for me; please do not grieve.
Memories will remain as distance grows.
With great sadness it's time for me to leave,
what happens tomorrow, nobody knows.
Memories will remain as distance grows,
in true reflection the heart grows fonder.
What happens tomorrow, nobody knows,
this journey called life, one has to ponder.
In true reflection the heart grows fonder,
sorrow is lost when infatuated.
This journey called life one has to ponder,
one can get lost when badly translated.
Sorrow is lost when infatuated,
life does not make sense when we are broken.
One can get lost when badly translated,
just don't forget the language we've spoken.
Life does not make sense when we are broken.
I promise you everything will be fine.
Just don't forget the language we've spoken,
your words will remain in this heart of mine.
I promise you everything will be fine.
With great sadness it's time for me to leave.
your words will remain in this heart of mine.
Mother don't cry for me; please do not grieve.

This is the story of a real murder . . .
I was just five years old and was in my bedroom playing,
we had just moved into to this cozy little basement apartment;
mommy was talking to a man, who was yelling something about money,
then everything went quiet and I came to see what was happening.
Mommy was laying on the floor with eyes like my dolls,
lifeless, and this man I had seen before was standing there;
I ran to mommy, "wake up mommy wake up!" But she was so still,
the man told me he would take me to my daddy who lived not far.
Crying and weeping for my mommy and daddy loudly,
the man told me to, "shut up!" But I couldn't I was afraid;
he stopped the car near a huge field and pulled me out shouting,
I dropped my teddy on the side of the road and I was fighting him.
When mommy did not show up for work the police came,
they found her body and knew she had been murdered;
an amber alert was issued for me (but I was already long dead),
after three days they found my lifeless body in that rural field.
Hundreds gathered for our funeral, family and strangers,
there was music and dancing because we loved to dance;
the talkers were full of thoughts and memories and even poems,
me and mommy were united in life and would be forever in death.
The man had dragged me into the field and I was yelling,
yelling for daddy to come and then he stopped my voice;
he put his hands on my throat and then threw my small body,
as I lay there looking up with dead eyes- there was a rainbow.
I saw a double rainbow and then my beautiful mommy,
was holding me, I asked her why that man murdered us,
she told me, "because I owed him money and I made a mistake,"
our spirits will live on she said, but we will not rest in peace yet,
she whispered, "soon, my daughter we will dance again in heaven . . . "
_______________________________
August 12, 2016
Narrative
For the Premiere contest, Through Their Eyes #2
sponsor, Shadow Hamilton
First Place

Sweeter than a flower special as could be
A little girl softly asleep
Kneeling in prayer singing a tune
Beautiful young one baby girl
See her face glowing
Know that she's going to a better place
Surrounded by angels
Near the pearly gates
Safely in the sacred arms
Looking up at Jesus face
Sweeter than a flower
Special as could be
A little girl softly asleep
Close your eyes right now
See her going
To a better place
Your little baby girl

My pearl my love my everything
All and all she was all of that
Concieved I was carried through the shadow of death
Born from love rained from above
Her heart is now opened to another world
She walked through the perils of this life
Laughter and pain though sustained
By the highest power of whom she belonged
Leaving no stone unturned always well maintained
Beautiful lady ever so happy
Gorgeous and proud gone out of this world
She left without me
And went to her home above
Eyes twinkled ever so bright
You could see them in the night
Her smile touched the depths of my heart
I always loved her from the very start
My imagination here is very clear
How I held my mother dear
She is now taking her eternal rest
I will always love her
She was the best

O beloved mother, o beloved sisters
departed from me, within years
of each other, to sadden my living;
I spend my days weeping...
reminiscing in my sorrow:
how we laughed together,
and faced another serene tomorrow,
knowing that sharing kindness
would bond our destinies
in ways so devoted and immense!
O beloved mother, o beloved sisters...
I let the unconsumed joy of memories
take me to those yesterdays
to thank God for our existence,
when we enjoyed the gifts He offered;
yes, even the smallest of them
were so lovely and precious!
And by watching how you faced death,
I admired how you became the bravest...
slowly letting go of what you possessed!
O beloved mother, o beloved sisters...
do you want me to continue crying,
or smile and console you with a future promise:
that soon we'll embrace one another
under the joyful eyes of our Creator?
Nothing foolish I will do to harm myself;
and wait I will 'till my end comes,
but until then my solemn prayers I'll recite
amid tombstones guarded by triumphant angels...
and bound for Heaven, I'll be smiling!

I was laying on the beach
On a hot August morn
A sudden pain in my gut
I knew that something was wrong
It's Eddie. I felt it so strong
I Picked up my cell and I called
The emotional pain of it all
My body curled up in a ball
I sat up again to be sure,
the solar plexus was sore
Why to I question these signs
I know that there isn't a cure
For the feelings I want to ignore
He never answered the phone
I packed up my stuff and went home
I worried all day and all night
The sunrise brought more than just light
The loud banging began at the door
I peeked through the blinds to be sure
There were cops all over the street
Guns drawn made the picture complete
I opened the door full of fear
Oh my God! Why are they here?
My heart dropped, I wanted to hide
When he said "Sgt. White, homicide."
Is your son home he wanted to know
With his foot in the door I said no
Do you mind if we just have a look
And I backed up after biting the hook
They swarmed through the house
Guns up in the air
Upstairs to his room
They looked everywhere
My solar plexus was right
I'm glad I came home last night
But where did he go? I needed to know
His innocence still in my sight
The officer said have a seat
Let's talk about where he could be
A boy was found dead in the street
A witness put Ed at the scene
Don't worry he said as I pulled my robe tight
Your son was a victim of robbery last night
I know he's afraid to come out in the light
I didn't believe him. But I knew he was right.
My son was afraid and now I knew why
He took someone's life who's mother will cry
He was just seventeen a year younger than Ed
Why do these kids seem to be so misled?
What happened that night is a mom's biggest fear
A child was lost in the drug war I hear
The exchange in the alley of weed for the cash
Was a set up to rob him of all that he had
When the kid put a gun against my son's head
Said 'empty your pockets' or soon you'll be dead
He had no idea that the pocket was packed
With a 38 special protecting the cash
The rest of story is packed in a box
The panic, the fear, the action, the shock
He emptied the gun and ran for his life
While Nicholas bled on the pavement that night
My heart cries to God asking why must I be
The mom of the kid who killed her baby
I cry for her loss as if it were mine
I beg her forgiveness, and I offer her mine.
You don't want to be either one of these moms
Our children at risk, a sign of the times
God please shine Your light on this good Earth today
We're all human beings who've just lost our way.

Where has dad gone, momma dear?
Hush, my little lamb.
Your dad's gone to the thicket dear
And mad old Abraham
That man went early this grim morn, and took his sharpened knife
And with him took his own first born, to offer up his life
With servants and with firewood, both, they journeyed to Moriah
And on the hillside there they built an altar and a fire
And Isaac, when he heard the plan, went willingly, it's odd
That he should let that daft old man, so worship his cruel god.
Your father, he was passing by, and heard but could not see
And foolishly could not deny his curiosity
So closer did your father scramble peering through the thorns
Unaware of how the brambles tangled with his horns
Just to see a crazy man who planned to kill his kin
Your father did not understand the danger he was in
For then again that mad old man started hearing voices
His god was speaking to the loon and giving him new choices
And so his plan to slay the boy came about to falter
And Abraham, he took your pa and dragged him to the altar
But that was never fair, mama, can you tell me why
When Isaac he was all prepared and well prepared to die
And all had been decided on, so what cruel trick mama
Was played upon that grand old ram, who was my own papa?
Life is not fair, my little lamb, nor is it like to change
And fate plays tricks on all of us, both sinister and strange
So you take care, my little lamb, with this advice from me
Do not visit places where you know you should not be
The moral of this story dear, is take heed of the odds
And stay away from two-leggies worshipping their gods